Um Begins Pace To National Title

The Hurricanes had problems when they were heavy favorites last season. They tended to play with their victims too long, like some lazy lion taking delight in batting a mouse around.

Coach Jimmy Johnson wasn`t overly concerned with embarrassingly close calls against Virginia Tech (27-13) and Toledo (24-14). He shrugged the sluggishness off, saying it wasn`t realistic to expect a team to get emotionally charged every week. His team paced itself in its national championship drive.

Today, the No. 1 `Canes begin pacing themselves for another championship drive. Miami`s schedule provides its first breather, a 4 p.m. kickoff against Wisconsin in the Orange Bowl.

Wisconsin (0-2) is off to an awful start, having made history in a 24-14 loss to Western Michigan and a 19-17 loss to Northern Illinois. It marked the first time either school had defeated a Big Ten team.

Johnson cringes when he hears Wisconsin referred to as a breather, but he welcomes a week away from the spotlight.

``It`s a little bit of a relief that we don`t have to go into another week of hype and emotion,`` Johnson said. ``Our guys will be ready to play, but you can only be emotional so many times.``

The `Canes, on a 34-game regular-season winning streak, haven`t been out of the spotlight in awhile. Dating back to last season, four of their last five victories have been against Top 10 teams. The other was in the top 15. Miami is 26-0 against unranked teams.

A victory today would tie Miami with Pennsylvania (1894-96) for the NCAA`s fourth-best regular-season victory streak. Oklahoma (1953-57) holds the record at 45 games.

Still, with dramatic victories against Florida State and Michigan behind them, the `Canes would seem hard-pressed to get excited about playing the Badgers. Miami is a 40-point favorite.

A half-hearted effort might seem in order, but don`t count on it. These `Canes are so much younger than last year`s. They say they`re genuinely hungry. Too many of them have yet to shine despite the 2-0 start. Too many of them feel they have yet to contribute.

``It`s important for some of our starters to have success,`` Johnson said. ``If we are going to be the type of team we want to be at the end of the year, then those guys have got to experience some success.``

Mostly, he`s talking about his wide receivers and his halfback. Flanker Dale Dawkins, split end Randal Hill and halfback Leonard Conley possess game- breaking speed. But they have yet to show it.

Quarterback Steve Walsh, fullback Cleveland Gary and tight end Rob Chudzinski have carried the load offensively. Gary leads the team in rushing (23 carries for 90 yards), receiving (13 catches for 205 yards) and scoring (4 touchdowns). Chudzinski, who will miss today`s game because of a groin pull, has 11 catches.

``We`ve been doing more with Cleveland this year, but I think as Dale and Randal progress we`ll go downfield more often,`` Walsh said. ``We`re looking for a chance to go out and improve on our past performances. This isn`t a breather. It`s a chance to go out and improve.``

Even some of the veterans are looking for big games.

``I haven`t had a standout game yet,`` said preseason All-America defensive end Bill Hawkins. ``I need one. I would think three sacks and about 10 tackles would be a pretty good game.``

Preseason linebacker Rod Carter is making his first start of the season after recovering from knee and hamstring injuries.

``I`ll be going a little harder to make up for lost time,`` Carter said.

Johnson also expects to use more players than he has this season. He would especially like to see fullback Shannon Crowell and halfback Alex Johnson contribute.

-- EXTRA POINTS: Wisconsin coach Don Morton gave Miami problems when he was coach at Tulsa. The `Canes were heavy favorites in a 1986 game but struggled to a 23-10 victory... Wisconsin defeated No. 1 Michigan 21-14 in 1981... The Badgers have 10 turnovers in two games.

-- WHEN BADGERS HAVE THE BALL: The Badgers run the veer offense with halfback Marvin Artley and quarterback Tony Lowery leading the way. Artley (6 feet 1, 215 pounds) is a pro prospect. He was fourth in rushing in the Big Ten last year. In last week`s loss to Northern Illinois, he led the Badgers with 136 yards on 25 carries. Lowery was the Big Ten`s freshman of the year last year and runs well as an option quarterback. He has completed 39 of 66 passes for 408 yards this season.

-- WHEN `CANES HAVE THE BALL: Miami would like to get halfback Leonard Conley and ends Dale Dawkins and Randal Hill more involved in the offense. Look for the `Canes to try to spring Conley on short passes in the open field. Dawkins and Hill also should be primary receivers more often. Still, fullback Cleveland Gary remains the workhorse of the offense. He is an outstanding receiver capable of running over defensive backs.